One True King
by Bluefire Eternal
Summary: Check profile for improved version. Simba refused to return to the Pridelands to save them all from Scar, but Nala isn't as alone as she thinks she is. Either way, the one true king will reveal himself in time.
1. A Different Story

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Lion King. This brilliant masterpiece was created by Disney. I just own the plot of this particular fanfiction.**

In the once great Pridelands, a lioness nervously paced as her mind raced to find a solution to her problems.

Nala had left the Pridelands with the permission of King Scar. To the king and the hyenas that kept the pride in check, a lioness leaving on the claim that she was going out to find more prey was all too common after King Mufasa's death.

Her true mission had been much more important. Sarabi and the elder lionesses had charged her with finding a male lion to take on Scar and end his tyranical rule. Nala had found many males, but all had refused to fight a challenging opponent with only a few rapidly aging lionesses and a barren territory as a prize.

That was the main problem with finding a challenger. Most male lions were able to overlook the uninhabitable condition of the Pridelands on the promise of finding a more livable area. What most male lions didn't want to have a pride consisting of old females beyond their prime with very few young lionesses.

After a hard journey Nala had been able to find a male. Simba had somehow survived the stampede that had presumably killed him and King Mufasa, making Scar the next in line as king. He was young, strong, and appeared to care about his pride; the perfect replacement for his mad uncle.

What Nala hadn't counted on was that Simba had failed to grow up. The young male had refused to leave the sanctuary of his new jungle home, even if it meant sentencing his pride to a slow death at the paws of Scar.

_I thought he would be the next king, _Nala thought sadly. _I thought he would live up to his destiny and be mature enough to take his rightful place._

Now there wasn't even any hope of going out again to find another male. After the one night she had spent with Simba, Nala had been returning back to the Pridelands with company. She was pregnant with his cubs and would soon be unable to leave the Pridelands without damaging her litter.

As the only lioness able to travel hard and fast around the land in search of a male lion, all hope would be lost until her cubs had grown enough to be left on their own.

_Don't think of that now,_Nala scolded herself, _focus on the cubs._

It wouldn't take long for her pregnancy to be known to the rest of the pride. After that it wouldn't take Scar long to guess the true purpose to her frequent long-distance hunts that rarely turned up any food.

Nala's only hope lay in Scar's disturbing infatuation for her. The king wasn't satisfied with Queen Zira and only kept her as his mate because she had given birth to Nuka, his only heir. When Nala returned from her failed mission she discovered that Zira's second pregnancy had resulted in twin cubs, Kovu and Vitani. These cubs weren't Scar's children, but rather those of an unnamed rogue that had been lurking at the border of the Pridelands several weeks prior.

Scar had nearly killed Zira in his terrible fit of rage, leaving her bruised and bloodied upon the floor. Queen Zira had only been allowed to live because of Nuka and both Kovu and Vitani were lucky that the king had taken mercy on their innocent souls and had adopted them as his own.

Zira and her youngest litter were lucky that Nuka was the future king.

_Future king._

Nala stopped her agitated pacing and laughed quietly to herself.

That was the answer!

Perhaps, if she was blessed enough, one of the cubs she gave birth to would be male. Who could be a better ruler of the Pridelands? Her son would be a direct descendant of King Mufasa and Prince Simba, the true heir to the throne.

_Yes, _Nala thought, _Simba has saved the Pridelands. Just not in the way he expects._

Armed with a new plan to take down Scar, the light gold lioness set off at a brisk pace back to Priderock. Now was the perfect moment to put the first stage of her scheme into action.

* * *

Scar watched coldly as Zira cleaned Kovu and Vitani. Her blind devotion in her mate had been stricken in that fit of rage, but the queen found excursions for her mate and blamed it on herself for her injuries. She shouldn't have gone off with that rogue anyways. Maybe then she could have given her king a healthy litter of cubs that were truly his.

Nuka hung around the entrance to the den, bored out of his mind but not daring to complain. After watching his father hit Zira that way drained any desire to whine about being the only cub in the Pridelands, save for his new half-brother and half-sister.

"Nuka." The small cub jumped as his father's harsh voice rang through the uncomfortable silence of the den. "Come here."

Nuka gulped and fearfully padded up to Scar, his eyes trained on his paws to avoid that piercing bright green stare. "Yes, father?"

"Don't answer to me in such a fearful way," the older lion snapped, glaring at his son. "If you are to be future king you need to be cold and ruthless. Weakness in a king leads to challenges from other males, which results in your downfall. How old are you?"

"Six months, father." Nuka, although he quivered in fear, managed to return his father's sharp gaze.

Scar drew back, satisified. "Six months," he mused, "old enough for a lion to go on his first hunt."

Nuka's ears perked up, eager to do anything to please his father and prove himself the rightful heir to the throne. "Really?"

"Of course." Scar turned to Zira. "Do you think our son is ready?"

The queen purred, pleased that her mate had gotten over the betrayal she so regretted now. "Of course, Scar. After all, Nuka has his father's strength."

Scar nodded, oblivious to the lioness' fanatic obsession with him. "Good. Come Nuka, you will be hunting with the lionesses, supervised by the hyenas, of course."

Nuka swallowed nervously. "Hyenas?"

"Do you really expect that the future king would go out with only a few ragged old cats to protect him from harm? The hyenas will make sure nothing happens to you." Scar's eyes flickered as he looked out into the overcast skies overhead.

Some of the lionesses weren't happy with his rule. As king he tried hard to make sure that all of his subjects were happy. But he was only mortal, and even kings made some mistakes.

Several of the older lionesses that couldn't let go of the past viewed Scar's faults as madness and there was talk of an usurpation among those who loyally and rightfully followed the one true king. It was better to make sure hyenas were out there on that hunting trip to protect his only heir; who knew what those lionesses would do to his only biological son if he was left unprotected.

Scar waited for Nuka to leave Priderock in the company of several lionesses carefully flanked by Banzai, Shenzi, and Ed. These hyenas, although slightly dim-witted, would kill to protect their future king.

King Scar waited for the hunting party to leave before he began to prowl after them, intent on shadowing the group to see if his son wasn't as big a disappointment as he appeared to be.

"Scar." The dark lion growled in his throat and turned around, coming face to face with Nala.

Even he had to admit, the young daughter of Sarafina had really grown since he had come to power. Her pale gold fur shone even in the murky sunlight that filtered in from the overcast skies overhead and her once scrawny form had become lean and lithe. She was indeed the most beautiful lioness in the pride.

Scar nodded firmly. "Nala." He had tried to seduce the lioness before and that had resulted in a firm rejection and a large slash across the face. Never again would his lust for her cloud his judgement, however irresistible she was.

"I had a lot of time to think when I was out hunting," Nala purred, slipping in close to the king, her golden form wrapping around his body. "And I've come to a decision."

"Oh?" Scar's eyebrows rose in interest. He grinned smugly, running his tongue over her cheek, not noticing her slight shudder at his touch. "What have you decided?"

"That I was a fool to resist you, to reject you. Zira was a fool when she cheated on you." Nala leaned her muzzle in close and whispered in the lion's ear, "I think it's time you properly punished that slattern and gave her a taste of her own medicine."

Scar purred wickedly as both lions retreated to the privacy of a small dark cave off at the back of Priderock. King Scar, so caught up in his lust, didn't see the victorious gleam in Nala's eye as he played right into her trap.

* * *

Nala nuzzled her two newborn cubs, silently wishing that their father could be here by her side. If this had turned out the way she wanted it to it would be Simba at her side and not Scar, and she would be a queen, not the mother of the King's 'illegitimate cubs.'

"One moment Nala," Scar licked her ear with all the lust he had displayed that nightmaric hour she had laid her trap, "I must attend to Zira."

The dark lion padded past Rafiki, paying the baboon no heed as he reluctantly left the two cubs that he considered his 'true heirs.'

Nala sighed in relief and watched her two cubs in peace, praying that this cub would be the saviour of the Pridelands.

Kiara was the younger twin. Her golden fur was a perfect mixture of her parents' colors; her coloring almost uncanny to Prince Simba's but slightly lighter. Her amber eyes were closed as she slumbered peacefully, unaware of the hidden dangers that lurked just outside the den.

Her elder brother moved fitfully in his sleep; perhaps having nightmares of the important part he was going to play in the circle of life one day. For now he just an innocent cub. He was the same deep gold as his father with Nala's extremely pale underparts with his mother's blue eyes and a minuscule tuft of brown fur on his head.

"Congratulations on the new cubs, Nala," Rafiki said in his strange acent as he packed up his belongings. Somehow he knew that he lioness was about to give birth and had magically arrived just as Nala had gone into labour. "Old Rafiki knows that the new prince and princess will grow up healthy and strong."

"Thank you, Rafiki." A ghost a smile flashed across her face. "You can always ask what their names are if you're that curious."

"All right den," the baboon leaned forward, squinting slightly. Those two cubs were beginning to look remarkably similar to another cub he had helped deliver so long ago, in another life. "What are da names of the new prince and princess? Old Rafiki is indeed curious."

Nala nuzzled the female cub. "Her name is Kiara, after my mother's mother. And our little prince over here," she paused to lick the male cub's tiny tuft of brown fur, "is Kosa."

"Kosa, eh?" A tentative beam of sunlight broke through the thick clouds at that very moment, shining down on the two cubs. Kosa's small tuft of brown fur lit up in the sunlight, turning a soft muted red, like King Mufasa's mane. The old baboon leaned back with a slight chuckle. "It fits the true future king."

With a mischievous wink Rafiki bounded away into the Pridelands, chanting softly to himself in his peculiar language.

"Kiara and Kosa," Nala repeated the names tenderly, each cub wriggling slightly in their sleep in response to their separate names. "Sleep tightly my two."


	2. Five Months Gone By

**Airezi: I was originally going to name Kosa Kopa but a friend suggested naming him Kosa instead. It sort of goes with the strong 'S' names like Mufasa and Simba and personally I like Kosa better than Kopa.**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns the Lion King and all of its characters. I just own the plot to this fanfic.**

* * *

_**Note: Kiara and Kosa are five months old in this chapter. Vitani and Kovu are about eight months and Nuka is about 14 months old.**_

* * *

Two snarling balls of fur threw themselves at each other as they battled for supremacy. Their golden pelts were like two molten drops of sunlight amidst the dull landscape of the Pridelands.

"Pinned ya!" Kiara exclaimed triumphantly as she tackled her older brother to the ground the thirtieth time that morning.

"You cheated," Kosa growled as he shoved his younger sister away.

"Did not!" Kiara argued. "You just can't beat me in a play fight if your life depended on it!"

"Oh yeah?" When the young lioness looked away the other cub pounced...only to wind up pinned to the ground by his sister again.

"Yeah," Kiara poked her tongue out, "I've seen bugs that are tougher than you!"

Kosa threw her off again, then they both lunged at each other, their joyful and care-free laughter an usual sound in the depressed and hopeless atmosphere that always overshadowed the Pridelands.

Both siblings were locked in a snarling ball of golden fur that tumbled down the rocks and bumped into the resting hyenas and lionesses that were trying to take a short break before going out on more fruitless hunts. The fighting bundle came to an abrupt halt as they crashed into an older lion that roared in protest.

"Watch it!" Nuka slashed at his half-siblings with unsheathed claws, barely missing Kiara's head in his anger.

"Sorry Nuka," Kiara moved away, hiding herself behind Kosa. "We're just playing."

Since the birth of Kosa and Kiara, Nuka had grown a lot. He was now almost as big as King Scar and muscles rippled underneath a short pelt, despite the food shortage. His once scraggly black mane had almost completely grown in. Nuka glared down at the two small cubs, his tail swishing.

"Whatever," he said at last. "Just watch where your going next time."

When he had stalked away Kosa and Kiara let out twin sighs of relief.

"Some future king he'll make," the small lion cub commented dryly.

"If you don't like it, why not take it up with Daddy?" Kiara suggested. "If Nuka dies you are next in line to the throne."

"Me, king?" Kosa snorted in disbelief. "Why would I want to rule this wasteland? As soon as I'm old enough, I'm leaving the Pridelands for good."

"Whatever," his sister answered absently. A soft growling noise cut the air and Kiara put a paw on her rumbling stomach. "All this playing is making me hungry. When do you think the hyenas will be back with food."

"Right now." Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed appeared behind the prince and princess, victoriously wielding meat in their jaws.

"Eddy!" Kiara pounced on the hyena, attached with Ed ever since she could remember. The young princess was the only one that could call Ed 'Eddy' without being seriously injured.

Kosa hungrily raced over to the two hyenas that were currently not being tackled by Kiara, and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Rotten meat again?" He put a paw to his mouth to stop himself from vomiting from the horrible stench of the meat. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Shenzi angrily spat the meat out of her mouth and growled, "Look here, kid, all of us went very far to get this meat and had to fight off very aggressive vultures to get it. Just be glad we could find any food at all."

Kosa laid his ears flat against his head. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm just so tired of getting sick whenever I try to eat something. Can't the lionesses just catch something _alive_ for once?"

Banzai noticed the young lion cub had started to droop and quickly said, "We were gone for quite a while, Kosa. Did your roar get any scarier when we were out hunting, or is still as pathetic as when we left?"

Golden ears perked in relief at the welcome subject change. "You bet," he replied happily. "Hear this!" Prince Kosa took a deep breath and gave his most impressive roar, a very high-pitched mewl that couldn't scare a flighty lizard.

"Well...it certainly is getting lower." Shenzi flashed the cub a small smile, silently wondering why that poor excuse for a roar sounded so familiar. Oh yeah, King Mufasa's son had sounded just like that when he had been trying to ward the hyenas off.

"And more impressive," Banzai added. He turned to his brother. "Right Ed?"

Ed, who finally managed to shake Kiara off of him, nodded vacantly, babbling something in his incoherent language.

"He agrees," Banzai translated.

"Uh huh. Well, thanks for the meat guys. I'll make sure some of this goes to my mom." Kiara seized a large chunk of meat and rushed back to the cave, her ravenous appetite demanding food as soon as possible.

"Bye guys!" Kosa turned around and carried the rest of the meat back to the den that he and the rest of Scar's family resided in.

"Hard to believe those two could ever be the spawn of Scar," Shenzi remarked. "Their youthful innocence and joy is something you wouldn't expect coming from Scar's gene pool."

"At least Nala gave those cubs some social skills," Banzi said as the trio began to make their way down to the other hyenas, "unlike the _Queen's_ cubs."

Kovu and Vitani were currently at the entrance to the den, practicing their pouncing skills on a tied-up Zazu that couldn't fly away and stir up a rebellion.

"Young masters will you please stop!" the flustered hornbill begged. "Your pouncing skills are good enough already!"

"Good enough?" Kovu's whiskers twitched in agitation. "I'm aiming to be the best hunter in the Pridelands, bird."

"Besides," his sister batted Zazu with an unsheathed paw, her icy blue eyes glittering coldly, "we're bored."

Kosa growled softly at the torture, but slithered past his adopted siblings without a word of protest. Kovu and Vitani were three months older than him and could easily beat him to a pulp if he tried to stand up to them.

Kiara didn't share her brother's common sense.

Dropping her meat she swatted Vitani's paws away and stood between her and the hornbill, her tail lashing in anger. "Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size!"

Kovu shoved his sister away and advanced on the golden lioness, his green eyes glittering. "You have a lot of mouth for someone so tiny," he growled. "Get out of here before I decide to give your cold, dead body back to your slattern of a mother!"

Kiara's fur bristled. "My mother's a slattern? Your mother is a filthy old whore that mates with every male lion she can get her paws on!"

The dark lion cub snarled, black claws unsheathing as he raised a paw to strike down Kiara.

Kosa dropped his meat and charged, knocking Kovu over as instincts took in and he struggled to reach the young cub's jugular.

Vitani prepared to pounce on the younger lion, but Kiara intercepted her and took her down in a screeching bundle of golden and dusty gray fur.

"What's going on here?" Nala appeared from the den, her blue gaze furious.

"Nothing," Kovu and his sister slipped off of the lioness' cubs, their now meek faces locked on their paws. Their mother might be queen but Nala was Scar's favorite. "We were just playing a game. Right Vitani?"

"Some game," Kosa muttered. Smirking defiantly at the older litter, he picked up his piece of rotten meat and strutted inside, feeling Vitani's burning gaze boring into his pelt.

"Do you two always have to get into trouble?" Nala asked after her cubs had finished with their dinner. She was currently trying to get the two exhausted cubs to go to sleep. "It wouldn't kill you to actually get along with Kovu and Vitani for once."

"We had no choice," Kiara protested as she stifled a yawn. "Kosa and I couldn't let them torture Zazu like that."

Her brother nodded sleepily. "Dad should punish them for such cruelty. Even a hornbill that wants King Scar dead doesn't deserve to be treated like a piece of prey."

"That's very wise of you," Nala whispered as she nuzzled her cubs goodnight. "You'd make a very great king one day."

Kosa didn't respond. He had fallen fast asleep with one paw wrapped protectively around his younger sister.

* * *

Scar watched silently as his mate put their cubs to bed. Something like pride ran through that twisted mind as the king's eyes rested on his youngest son.

Despite his youth Kosa had bravely stood up to a cub three months older than him and had been able to hold his own before intervention from his mother.

Mating with Zira was the worst thing he had ever done in his life, Scar decided as he watched her three cubs grow up over the last year. She was a dirty 'slattern' as Nala had kindly said that wonderful night so long ago when she had bore him Kiara and Kosa.

Several of his subjects whispered that the cubs bore no resembelance to the king and looked more like King Mufasa's children than Scar's. The dark lion knew this wasn't true.

Although the cubs were as different from their father as day and night on the outside, on the inside they were the same as a young Taka before his heart had been darkened by his selfish older brother.

With past experiance King Scar had worked carefully and discretely to make sure no sibling rivalry sprung up between the five cubs, using the hyenas and the few trustworthy lionesses to make sure their were no problems. He spent equal time with each and every cub and openly favored no one.

As firstborn Nuka was the rightful heir to the throne, and had proved to be an accomplished hunter and brutal fighter despite his disappointing appearance. What was important was that he was eager to follow his parents' every order and would not overthrow his father, but would wait for his retirement instead.

_Taking in those bastards of Zira's was the best tactical move in my life,_Scar thought as he watched Kovu and Vitani continue their hunt for Zazu, who had taken refuge in the old ribcage that he was locked up in during the night.

Although Zira's second litter weren't his flesh and blood, and he felt no paternal bond toward the cubs whatsoever, both would serve important roles in making sure Scar's bloodline carried on.

Even a retard could see that the majority of the lionesses hated their king and couldn't face the fact that King Mufasa was dead. Their were always rumours of a future usurpation of the royal family, even with a large pack of hyenas that would kill for King Scar standing in the way.

If such an event took place and he and Nuka were assasinated, Kovu would be next in line for the throne.

The traitor lionesses seemed to stock their hope on the young lion cub that wasn't Scar's true son and might be the key in their coo. When Kovu was grown and at a suitable age, the lionesses would put their plan into action and somehow found a way to kill of the king and his first heir.

Nala, set out to avenge her mate that was murdered in cold-blood, would set out a counter-rebellion with those who didn't support the rogue lionesses. Kosa, as the final remaining true heir of Scar, would overthrow his adopted brother and would take his rightful place as king.

Scar's bloodline was secured, rebellion or not.

And then there was Kiara, the adorable little lioness that loved her Daddy to death. She would always be Princess Kiara, no matter who ruled as king, and who's cubs she bore would always be of royal blood. If both Kosa and Nuka perished in battle, her own 'innocence' would prevent her death and her own cubs would eventually rise up against the usurper and Scar's succession would continue.

With a shortage of lionesses at a child-bearing age, each cub was important. Vitani would eventually grow up to be the mate of Kosa, who was related to her only by decree of the king.

Yes, every single scenario is accounted for. No matter what, his bloodline would continue.

"Scar." The dark king turned around, his lip curling slightly as he saw Zira by his side. Her fanatical obsession would be the death of him.

"Yes, Zira?" He talked quietly so as not to awake the slumbering Kosa and Kiara.

"Did you see Kovu and Vitani's mastery at stalking and pouncing today?" she purred. She rubbed up against her king, not noticing an eye twitch in annoyance. "I think our second litter are ready for their first hunt."

"It can wait a while longer," Scar said in a firm tone. "I must make sure that Kosa and Kiara are developing their skills without any problems."

"Nuka was two months younger then his siblings were when he had his first hunt!" Zira snapped, forgetting the sleeping cubs. "You can not put this off any longer, my love! Remember what happened to another certain cub that was pampered by his father while the other was forgotten?"

"Shut up!" Scar yelled in a loud whisper. "You'll wake my cubs if keep up this bitching. I have not forgotten Kovu and Vitani, just merely think they're not ready for their first hunt." He adapted a gentler voice, nuzzling his first mate's ear as he spoke, "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to our cubs if they weren't ready."

Zira gave a satisfied purr and crept out of the cave to put her own cubs to bed.

Scar forgot about his Queen and caught Nala's eye, not noticing the brief flash of hatred in their blue depths. Both lions quietly padded out of the cave and back to the small shelter where there own cubs had been conceived so long ago.

**So it looks like Scar has it all planned out. Sorry if anyone seemed OOC in this chapter. Kovu and Vitani are growing up in a different enviorment than in the movie and will act a bit different.**


	3. FIXED: Notice Me

**danielle.h.: Simba will make an appearance later on, but this story is about his son.**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns everything Lion King related. I just own the plot to this fanfic.**

**NOTE: I went back and fixed this chapter to make it less confusing. **

**To Airezi: Nuka is caught up in an awkward stage. He is trying to become the cold, logical king Scar wants him to be, but is the same whiny cub at heart. An explanation to his knowledge of the rebellion and Scar's plans of the future will be revealed in the next chapter.**

Pink tendrils of sunlight slowly stretched across the dull gray sky as dawn broke over the Pridelands. It was hardly the beginning of a new day and even the lionesses, that were forced to get up early and hunt well into the night, hadn't been roused from their slumbers.

Kiara perched at the edge of Priderock where Scar usually stood when he gave out his commands to his subjects. This quiet time of a fresh morning was the only time she could get away from the seething hatred of Queen Zira and the sometimes obnoxious presence of her over protective older brother. She just needed this brief time of solitude.

"You're up early."

The golden cub whirled around, sinking to the ground out of respect and a tiny amount of fear when she saw King Scar standing over her. Although her father wasn't the abusive type, Kiara always felt over-whelmed in his presence.

"I always get up this early, Daddy," she managed to say in a soft voice so as not to awake an irritable Nuka.

"You just need time to think?" Scar's usually cold green eyes were filled with an uncharacteristic warmth as he gazed down at his daughter with all the love a father always felt for his daughter. Kiara nodded, her silly fear going away with the understanding in the king's gentle eyes.

"I need that sometimes too," he admitted.

Kiara stood up, her head cocked slightly in confusion. She asked, "Why would you need time to think, Daddy? I thought kings were used to the pressure of ruling."

Scar sighed softly at his daughter's youthful naivety and nuzzled her gently. "Even kings are only mortal," he answered. "Our subjects look up to us to be strong and rule with a confidence in everything that we do. When you're older, Kiara, you'll understand."

Father and daughter sat in silence for a few peaceful moments, enjoying the sounds of a slowly waking world. Both were oblivious to the dark cub that hid in the shadows, his emerald eyes glittering with jealousy.

Kovu tried so hard to make King Scar proud and worked his paws off to make his adopted father proud of him and his choice of allowing Zira's second litter to live. He was practicing his fighting from dawn until dusk and continued his pouncing lessons even when he was panting with exhaustion.

Still, whatever he accomplished was always second-best in Scar's eyes compared to Kiara and Kosa.

It was blatantly obvious that the king favored his technically illegitimate cubs over his rightful heirs. Scar disguised his favoritism by spending equal time with all of his children, adopted and sired, and pretended to take interest in whatever his cubs where doing. But Kovu could see Scar's affection for Kosa and Kiara whenever he looked at them.

Scar had _never _given Kovu or Vitani that look of such tender paternal love and affection. Even Nuka, the king's firstborn and heir, only got a cold look of respect from Father.

"Why does Father love the bastards of some damned lioness over the cubs of his adoring Queen?" Nuka wondered outloud to himself, not expecting an answer to his rhetorical question. "Why can't he look at me and give me the same look of love he gives to Kosa?"

"Do you really want to know?" Zira asked. She had slid in next to his son unnoticed while he brooded.

For once Kovu didn't feel the cold fear he always felt for his mother and only wanted to know the answer to his seemingly impossible question. He nodded with out any hesitance, his emerald eyes demanding.

Zira gave a mental sigh of sympathy as she looked down at her son. Kovu was still so young and was already facing the harsh reality of a cold, cruel world. But not even for her cubs would she disguise the truth with a sugar-coated lie. Distorting the truth only bred weakness.

"Long ago I was not satisfied with the love Scar gave me," she began, "and I went off to search for what my hormones demanded. That would be a dashing lone male that had no royal duty to distract himself from his love life. An unknown rogue had been lurking near the border a few days prior and I thought it best to try my luck. I mated with this rogue, who left shortly after I left him. As a rightful punishment I was to deliver cubs that where his, not Scar's."

Kovu glared at his mother with hateful emerald eyes, his fangs bared in a look of pure fury. "You stupid slattern!" he snarled. "If you had not been such a whore I could have truly been Father's son!"

Zira suppressed a purr of delight as she saw her son's rage. She was not mad at him in the least bit for calling her a slattern, but was proud of him using his fury. Although he wasn't Scar's true son, he acted more like him everyday, unlike the pathetic Kosa.

"I strongly regret doing that, Kovu and I have been punished fairly," she said once Kovu's rage died down enough. "My merciful mate was benevolent enough to look beyond my faults and saw you and Vitani as innocent cubs that would've been his own. He adopted the both of you. But, Nala got in the way."

"I know the rest of that story," the dark cub spat. "Nala used Father's weakness to her advantage and managed to escape her rightful duties as a hunter to feed the pride by becoming pregnant with those brats Kosa and Kiara."

Queen Zira nodded. "As much as I hate it, Kovu, Scar has become disillusioned by Nala and now favors her over me, his adoring queen that always stayed by his side, and his three cubs."

Scar and Kiara had left their perch and had left to do their respectful duties, leaving the demented queen to sow the seeds of hatred into her cub.

Kovu glared at where Scar had disappeared with determined green eyes. "Father may never love me but he will never regret his decision to name me his second heir," he vowed. "Father will notice me, whether he likes it or not."

Zira nodded proudly, her cunning mind calculating her next step. "Kovu, go wake Vitani," she ordered as she padded after her king, "We have training to do."

* * *

King Scar looked down at his kingdom with Prince Nuka at his side. The lion looked down at his future realm with an assessing golden gaze, his sharp mind already planning defences in case of attack or the impending doom of rebellion.

Scar couldn't help but feel a pang of satisfaction for his eldest son, the only true heir he had gotten out of _Queen _Zira.

When such a scrawny cub had been born, he couldn't help but doubt that Nuka would survive his first month, let alone make it to being old enough to be crowned the next cub.

Shockingly, Nuka had surpassed his father's low expectations and had become a brutal and efficient hunter and fighter, ready to kill at his father's command. His scrawny form had bulked out into an intimidating adolescent and now had the makings of a great king.

"Father, there is a rebellion on the horizon," Nuka said. "When Kovu reaches maturity the mislead lionesses that can't let go of the past will rise up against you, the true king. We will both die."

Scar didn't contradict his son, only nodded thoughtfully as he stared out into the once fertile Pridelands. "Perhaps."

"Did you find a way to safeguard our line to make sure the rightful bloodline of King Scar continues?"

The dark lion eyed his son without an answer. "Aren't you going to have cubs of your own?"

Nuka shook his head, lip curling slightly in distaste. "The two lionesses closest to my age are my half-sisters and the next youngest is your mate. Besides, those barbaric rebels would probably kill any offspring I have to make sure there would be no surprising comeback. Why would I bring new life into this world only to have it be lost after only a few brief months?"

His father nodded. "So you won't have cubs. What will happen after this coup takes place?"

"Nala and her cubs are spared," Nuka replied. "The rebels won't see Kosa as a threat to _King _Kovu. They are merely exiled to prohibit the loyal lionesses from forming a counter coup. Kosa, fueled by the desire to avenge you and me, will overthrow Kovu and take his rightful place as king. Vitani will take his place as queen, or another lioness will be his mate. Kiara and her possible mate will be her brother's heir if he is assassinated before he can have cubs."

Scar gave his son a proud smile. "Very wise," he praised, "you are indeed my son, Nuka."

The adolescent purred, basking in the light of his father's very rare praise. The happy scene was rudely interrupted by Zira, who had climbed up to the top of Priderock unnoticed while Scar and Nuka talked about the future of their kingdom.

Nuka rolled his golden eyes in annoyance, his pathetic fear of his mother long replaced by a very delicate tolerance. "Mother," he greeted tersely.

Scar turned around to face his fanatic mate, his proud gaze going cold. "What is it Zira?"

Queen Zira wound herself around her king, deaf to his low growl of anger. "Kovu and Vitani are eight months old," she said in a seductive voice that only made Scar sick.

"I am aware of that Zira," Scar snapped as he shoved his mate away with a sheathed paw.

Zira continued on as if Scar hadn't threatened her, "Nuka was six months old when he had his first hunt. Our cubs' first hunt is two months overdue!"

"I already told you, mate," the dark king replied icily, "I do not think Kovu and Vitani are ready. Perhaps in another month or two they will be strong enough to not get themselves killed just by stepping out of the shadow of Priderock."

"Strange," the lioness said meekly, inwardly smirking as she played on her mate's weak spot. "I have heard talk that you are preparing Kosa and Kiara for their first hunt in a month's time and they'll only be six months old by then. It sounds as if you're favoring them over your adopted children."

The dark lion snarled, barely stopping himself from throwing himself at Zira's throat. "They have a fortnight," he growled when he had gotten enough control of his temper. "Fourteen days from now Vitani and Kovu have their first hunt. Make sure they're prepared."

Queen Zira padded away, grinning triumphantly as she went to drill her cubs.

Scar regained the rest of his impassive composure, glaring down at several lionesses that were slacking off on their duties. "I have some leading to do," he told Nuka. "Go and train Kosa and Kiara to make sure they're ready for their first hunt in a month's time."

The future king could barely hide his disgust. "You want me to train those little termites-" Nuka stopped as he saw his father's glare, "I mean those terrific cubs. Of course I will, Father! It would be a pleasure!"

Scar snarled at Nuka's overly cheerful smile, then prowled away. Nuka's facade dropped and he muttered to himself as he descended to the main level of Priderock.

* * *

Kosa and Kiara rested on their napping mother, halfheartedly batting at each other. Without a Nuka to tease or a Vitani or a Kovu to fight the two siblings were extremely starving for some entertainment.

"Mom," Kiara whined down at the sleeping form of Nala, "can we please do something fun?"

Nala yawned and raised her head, the movement throwing her cubs off of her back. She blinked wearily at her two cubs, gazing down at their pleading faces. The light gold lioness sighed in exasperation. So this how Sarafina and Sarabi felt when she and Simba used to bother them.

"Please," Kosa added as an extra precaution, looking up at her with wide eyes that Nala usually gave in to.

This time Nala was in no mood for her cubs' complaints. "No," she said firmly. Instantly the mother fell back into a deep sleep, her ears deaf to her whining offspring.

Like a gift from the Great Kings, Nuka appeared at the den entrance, looking extremely ticked off at something.

Kiara screeched, "Nuka!" Eagerly she and her brother pounced on their half-brother, their combined weight sending him crashing to the ground in a storm of golden and dusty dark fur.

"Get off you little termites!" Nuka angrily shook off the litter mates. "I'm only here because Father insists on me teaching you two how to hunt without scaring the prey away any time."

Kosa and Kiara exchanged excited glances, their impatient bodies quivering with anticipation. "We're going on our first hunt soon?"

Nuka nodded, regretting the decision to sneak off before it was too late. "In a month," he replied. "Kovu and Vitani are also training for their first hunt two weeks from today."

The two cubs charged out into the sunlight, dragging their reluctant older brother along with them.

Kiara instantly rushed Nuka to an open space of ground in the shadow of Priderock to practice on. Kosa hung back, watching as Kovu and Vitani crept up on rocks and pounced on them with a surprising amount of skill. Zira hovered over them, shouting directions harshly as her cubs struggled to meet their mother's demands.

Quickly the young prince hurried over back to his lesson. He and Kiara sat back and watched as Nuka sank into a perfect crouch and sailed low over to the ground. In the concealing tall grass he would be all but invisible to his prey.

Nuka had to silently admit that both cubs were performing beyond his low expectations. Kiara had mastered the stalk with any a minimal amount of correction and was learning how to step lightly so no one could hear her. Kosa, while his stalk needed a lot of work and could be heard from miles away, had perfected the pounce with only slight errors.

While the future king, Kovu, and Vitani had to practice extra-hard to be good at any one skill, Kosa and Kiara were learning the hunting techniques at an astounding pace. Both lions appeared to be at ease with the difficult task of hunting, probably something they had gotten from their mother, the most successful hunter in the pride aside from Nuka.

**Ack! I hate writing short chapters. The next chapter will be longer and I'll hopefully manage to get the story going.**


	4. Growing Up in the Pridelands

**Atarah Derek: I was going to name Kosa _Kopa_ but a friend who was going over the first draft of _A Different Story_suggested changing Kopa to _Kosa._Kosa sort of goes with the strong _s _names like Mufa_s_a and _S_imba. And, in my opinion, Kosa sounds better than Kopa. (Kopa also means "borrow" or "cheat")**

"No!" Nuka shouted in exasperation. "For the hundredth time Termite the stalk is like this!"

Kosa rolled his eyes.

Nuka been been complaining about his stalk all morning and was demonstrating the 'proper' technique for the hundredth time that day.

"Hurry up, Future Boss!" Banzai snapped. "This is my only day off in forever and I hate having to spend it waiting for you to be satisfied with this cub's stalking work!"

Kosa and Kiara's one month training was halfway done today. They had graduated from pouncing on rocks and had moved on to creeping up on hyenas and managing to bring one down. Currently Kiara had successfully completed the day's lesson and was currently being chased around by Ed.

"I'm trying!" Kosa growled. "I just can't seem to concentrate today!"

Nuka answered, "If you want to be ready for your first hunt then better learn to concentrate."

It wasn't Kosa's fault that he couldn't concentrate on this important lesson. His mind kept wondering back to the conversation he had heard earlier that morning between two lionesses that despised him and the rest of the royal family for some reason.

_Kosa hadn't meant to eavesdrop. If there was one thing he hated other than the way some lionesses treated the hyenas, it was someone that listened in on private conversations._

_That was what Nuka did. Father thought of his future heir as a cold and logical adolescent that would grow up to follow in his paw-prints._

_While Nuka was a brutal hunter that took after Scar in some ways, he hadn't been fortunate enough to inherit their father's intelligence. Whatever information he had gleaned about Scar's plans or whatever kings thought about, had been from Nuka stalking around and listening to private conversations._

_Effective, yes. Smart, no._

_Prince Kosa had overslept and was left alone in the den while the other cubs had went out for their training. Priderock was all but deserted as most of the lionesses had gone off on their daily hunts or to watch over Kovu and Vitani, who had their first hunt that morning._

_The young lion cub had been walking past Sarabi and Sarafina, unnoticed while the elder lionesses were engrossed in their talk._

_Time hadn't been kind to the former Queen of the Pridelands. Sarabi's once slender form now had ribs jutting out through a ragged pelt. Her once dark fur had thinned and grayed with age. Once brilliant amber eyes were clouded with cataracts._

_"Did you hear?" Sarabi asked her friend. "Prince Kovu and Princess Vitani have their fist hunt today."_

_Sarafina shook her head. "This young in life? King Mufasa never allowed the cubs to hunt until their first birthday. The prince and princess are eight months old!"_

_The former queen shrugged. "Scar's word is law. Besides, if the young prince actually manages to catch something, then perhaps he will prove he has the potential to become strong when he grows up."_

_Kosa frowned and crept closer. Why would it matter if Kovu was strong? Nuka was the one that was going to be king next._

_Sarafina replied, "I spoke to Kovu earlier today. He doesn't agree with all of Scar's laws. Especially the way hyenas are allowed so close to Priderock. Unlike my _grand-cubs,_who adore those filthy scavengers, our young prince seems to show some interest in the welfare of his future pride."_

_The eavesdropper snarled. _

_So what if he and Kiara liked the hyenas? Sarabi and the rest of those old lionesses never knew that they had been isolated the hyena packs from food until they were on the brink of starvation. Banzai, Shenzi, Ed, and the rest of the hyenas were a lot friendlier than the lionesses._

_"Speaking of grand-cubs," Sarabi began. "How are the children of your slut of a daughter doing? Aside from the unusual obsession with hyenas."_

_"Where to begin. Kiara is innocent of her father's crimes and is no danger to our plan. Kosa, on the other paw, is the cub most exposed to his father's dark influence. If the plan is successful and Kovu does become king, Kosa must be exiled so as to prevent another usurpation. Or better yet, killed."_

_"Sarafina!" the former queen scolded. "Although they are the children of Scar that is no way to talk about your own flesh and blood. Until they prove otherwise, they are just innocent cubs. Scar is pushing those two too hard. First hunt at six months? They barely started to eat solid food!"_

_The other lioness bared her fangs in disgust. "I'll have nothing to do with Nala! As far as I'm concerned, Kosa and Kiara are the spawn of a tyrant and a traitor."_

"Kosa!" Banzai snapped. "Get'cha head in the game, kid! I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm sick of sitting around pretending to be some stupid gazelle!"

The prince shook the unpleasant memory and crept up on the hyena. Banzai's back was turned to him, but he was still aware of the cub that noisily attempted to sneak up on him.

At last Kosa managed a sloppy pounce onto the much taller Banzai and held his jaws around the jugular. Had this been a real hunt, the target would've been dead from a well placed bite to the throat.

"Not bad," Nuka grudgingly admitted, "for a cub."

Usually Kosa would add some snippy retort to end the lesson before going off to play with Kiara, but today he padded back toward Priderock, absorbed in his thoughts.

_What's all this talk about a rebellion? Father rules justly,_ he reflected. _And why would Kovu be king? He's bossy, aggressive, and wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone just because they got on his nerves._

The disturbing talk of his death was unsettling. Why would anyone want to kill him? Kosa had done nothing wrong. Okay, maybe he pulled pranks on the hyenas and irritated his mother one too many times, but that was just the normal juvenile behaviour the pride expected from him.

_I don't even want to be king!_Kosa batted at a rock angrily. _Even if Nuka and Scar are killed, Kovu is next in line and I will support my older brother. Who does Sarafina think I am?_

"Hey kings!" Kosa shouted at the sky. "Can I please get some advice here?"

"They won't answer to that." Nala appeared from inside Priderock and padded down to comfort her cub. "What's wrong Kosa? Not another fight with Nuka, I hope."

"No," he muttered as he allowed his mother pressed him close to her warm body. _She mustn't know about what Grandmother thinks of her. _"I just had a little problem I needed some help with. But it's better now."

The lioness eyed her son with skeptical disbelief. "Just a moment ago you were crying to dead kings for help. Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

Kosa forced a smile on his troubled face, hoping it was assuring to someone who knew him as well as Nala did. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

He raised his nose to the air and scented the wind for a tell-tale scent. His ears tuned out the ruckus of the Pridelands so that it was incoherent background noise and tuned in to one sound until it was clear as day.

Silently he crept forward, pressed so low to the ground his belly fur nearly touched the ground. The barren remnants of a dead savanna didn't offer much cover, but his dull brown fur helped him blend in to the ground. If he stayed still, his prey would mistake him as a oddly misshapen rock.

_Stay downwind,_he reminded himself as he neared his target. It was a miracle that such a naive baby gazelle had wondered far enough from its mother to be considered fair game for Kovu. Although he was an impressive size at eight month's old, the mother's sharp hooves discouraged him.

Far behind him he could faintly detect the presence of the hyenas that watched over him. Beyond them was Scar himself.

_This is for you Father!_Kovu pounced, his spring putting him on the back of the young gazelle. He could feel the baby struggle beneath him and a sharp hoof made contact with his shoulder, but there was nothing else in the world except completing the task he set out to complete.

Kovu sank his fangs deep into the throat and didn't release his grip until the gazelle crashed to the ground and fell limp under his hold. Once the baby was dead the hyenas burst out of the hiding place and went for the mother.

"Well done Kovu!" Zira praised when she had emerged from the rocks where she had crouched, proudly watching her offspring. "See Scar, Kovu is a better hunter than Nuka was at this age. I remember our first son only killed a little old vulture."

"Our only son," Scar corrected. His cold green gaze took in the dead gazelle and flickered to Kovu. "A decent kill," he remarked without any emotion, good or bad. With a low growl he rallied the hyenas that had been devouring the older quadruped and lead them away, not looking back at his adopted son that stared hungrily after him.

Vitani padded up a moment later, her blue eyes filled with slight envy at the prey her brother caught. Certainly it was far more impressive than the bird she held in her jaws.

Kovu nodded at his sister, who forgot her jealously and bent her head down in a semblance of congratulations.

"Go and eat Kovu," Zira proudly motioned to his kill. "You've earned it my son. And you earned yours too Vitani." She went over and nuzzled her daughter fondly before disappearing after Scar and his hyena henchmen.

_At least you noticed me Father,_Kovu thought triumphantly. _Deny it, but you noticed me today. Were you proud Father?_

"Feh," Vitani scoffed as she dropped her bird. "So you were clumsy enough to stumble upon a gazelle. It was just beginner's luck. Next time around, I'll be the one bringing the bigger prey back home."

"Wanna bet?"

Both cubs leapt at each other, their moment of glory done.

Kosa's chest puffed up in pride as he held up his kill for his father to see. He had spent a long time tracking that guinea fowl across the Pridelands before finally managing to catch it at the border and deliver a neat bite to the throat.

Scar gave a satisfied nod. "Well done Kosa."

Kiara jumped around the king's legs, her excitement at successfully catching something on her first hunt unable to be dampened. "What about me Daddy? Did I do well? Did I?"

Her father bent down and stopped her hopping with one stern paw, but his smile was warm. "You did excellent my daughter. Perhaps you'll be able to hunt with your mother soon." Scar's eyes flickered to Nala, who gave a sly wink. _Later._

The king turned to Zira. She had been stalking Kosa through out the entire hunt, trying to make him fail. Her deeds went from stepping on a twig to alert his target to making the young prince aware that critical eyes were watching him. Stressing cubs out almost always guaranteed a failure. Kosa just happened to be the one exception to that rule.

"Well Scar?" Zira looked expectantly at her mate. "You promised that you and I were to show Vitani and Kovu the kingdom today."

His lip twitched in the beginnings of a snarl. "Zira, I know that. I was just giving my cubs the proper praise for a successful hunt."

Nala gave her cubs a lion's version of a hug. "You two did very well today," she praised. "I'll talk to your dad about that hunt with me. For now, why don't you just take a break?" Her eyes lingered on her son for a moment longer, something flashing in their blue depths. Finally the lioness pulled away, closely followed by Kiara who constantly asked about the upcoming hunt.

Kosa hung back and sat with his kill, enjoying the silence that had over taken the Pridelands. With blood still staining his muzzle and the excitement of the hunt still flowing in his veins, he felt invincible. He could take on a whole pride of lions and win.

What did it matter that some old lionesses thought ill of him? Sarabi and Sarafina were only two lions. How could they possibly rally up enough soldiers to take on his father's loyal pride and hyenas that would die to protect their leader?

No, he and his family were safe. Kosa was free to bask in the warmth of his father's pride. He would do anything to make his parents happy that he was their son.

_I will grow big and strong,_ he promised his ancestors. _Although I will never be king, I will faithfully stand by Nuka and help him when Father dies. No challenger will be able to defeat me nor no prey be able to escape my grasp. Great Kings, I will do anything to protect my pride._

A sudden thump of a paw hitting soft earth interuppted Kosa from his thoughts. Startled, he whirled around, coming face to face with blue eyes darker than his own.

Vitani stood before him. "You did well."

_Is this _Vitani_ talking to me or her twin sister?_ "Excuse me?"

She growled. "You heard me Termite. Not many six-month-old cubs can kill something with that sort of technique. Even Nuka pratically mutilated his first kill before it finally died."

Kosa blinked. "You're complementing me?"

"Are all males this stupid? _Yes,_ I just complemented you."

Seeming to regret her decision to say anything, the older cub stomped off, muttering about how stupid males were under her breath. Kosa could only stare after her with an expression of disbelief.

Since the day he was born Vitani had done nothing but antagonize him and Kiara, enjoying every hurt response she got out of her adopted siblings. As far as Kosa was concerned Vitani was just as worse as her brother. The last thing he ever expecting her to do was _complement _him.

* * *

True to his promise Kosa tried as hard as he could to grow big and strong. While Kiara grew more lovely every day and her hunting skills grew to match Nala's, her brother focused more on learning how to fight and defend himself against attacks.

At on year the growing prince was increasingly resembling the dead King Mufasa more than his own father. His scrawny form began to bulk out, if only slightly. His small tuft of reddish brown fur that could hardly be called a mane began to thicken and grow over more of his head. A small bit of mane had began to develop on his chest.

"Come on Termite," Nuka mocked. "Can't you do better than that?"

Kosa leaned into a crouch as he quickly assessed his half brother for weaknesses. Nuka was wiry like King Scar and what he lacked for in brute strength he made up with agility. Almost two years old, Nuka was much larger than Kosa but not as agile as a smaller lion.

Quick as a flash, Prince Kosa zipped underneath his brother's forelegs and delivered a glancing blow to the unprotected underbelly.

Nuka rolled away from his opponent, kicking out with sheathed hind paws as he barreled past. Since neither lions had reached their full height, both wouldn't fight in the conventional form of combat. Both preferred a less direct form of fighting, using their small forms to their advantage.

But Kosa was feeling rather bold this morning and charged Nuka head on, sprang onto his back and prepared to sink his fangs deep into his brother's throat.

"Runt!" Nuka roared as he bucked the younger cub off and stopped him with a sheathed paw to the throat. "I thought we agreed to only attack each other like that when you're old enough to take that kind of damage!"

"I am strong enough," Kosa growled and struggled to get Nuka off.

The future king didn't budge and just glared down at his brother. "No you're not Termite," he said matter-of-factly. "And I'm willing to prove that day after day until you get that fact through your thick head!"

Kosa bared his fangs at the challenge. "You're on!"

Nala raced over the barren ground, her spirits soaring. Beside her eighteen-month-old Vitani easily kept up, snapping at the backlegs of a zebra that had gotten separated from its herd.

If there was one thing Nala loved about the days after King Mufasa's death, it was being able to hunt. The excitement of bringing down prey with sister lionesses to feed the pride was her only way to stray from Scar's side and escape her troubles.

After pretending to be Scar's seduced mate, the rebel lionesses, including her mother, had avoided her as much as possible. What use was a messenger to find males that was pregnant with the enemy's cubs?

Whenever Nala hunted now, it was either alone or with Scar's heirs. Rebels lied to get out of mandatory hunting with the king's favorite and the loyal lionesses were intimidating at her influential position as being Scar's favorite. If one of them made a mistake, they thought it quite possible that Nala would pull a few strings and get them severely punished.

Despite being shunned by most, Nala was happy to hunt with her cubs alone or with Vitani or occasionally Kovu. Zira's daughter proved to be a nice companion once you got past her thorny exterior and her brother, despite being the coldest adolescent Nala had ever seen, had a good heart deep down.

The trap worked perfectly. A sixteen-month-old Kiara and Kovu reared out of the bushes and trapped the zebra in a hunting fraction of lions. Nala lunged for the throat while the cubs held on to the haunches.

"Excellant work, you three," Nala praised once the zebra lay dead on the ground. "That was the cleanest hunt from you yet."

Vitani shrugged. "Can we just eat now?" Without waiting for an answer, the princess bent down and began to feast.

Her brother stepped away with a polite dip of his head. "No thanks Nala," he said respectfully. "I have to check up on the hyena patrols and make sure there are intruders."

Kiara snorted and playfully batted the dark lion with a sheathed paw. "You're too responsible," she joked. "What ever happened to the brooding little cub that attacked everything he could get his claws on?"

"That 'brooding little cub' grew up," he answered matter-of-factly. "Father gave me orders and I have to follow them through."

Even with that icy response, Nala couldn't help but smile knowingly at the momentarily flash of softness in Kovu's hard emerald eyes. She had seen that look too many times on love-struck lions.

"I have to go too," Vitani added as seized the zebra carcass by the neck. "Mother expects the prey to be brought to Priderock by sunset."

"Alone at last," Nala whispered to her daughter.

Kiara giggled and nuzzled her mother. "I think Kovu likes me," she breathed back in an equally quiet voice. "He's just too proud to admit it."

"Do you like Kovu back?"

Young Princess Kiara paused for a moment, considering. Finally she answered, "I don't know what to think of him. Kovu and I were raised like siblings, but we're not truly related in any way. If I was still a cub, I would answer no. But...now I'm not sure if I love him like a brother or love him like a mate."

Kosa bounded up a moment later, his head raised triumphantly. He was nearly his mother's height by now and his mane covered most of his head and had begun to grow down his neck. The small amount on his chest had thickened slightly, slowly creeping up to join with his upper mane. With the sunlight flashing on his brown mane, turning it red, Kosa looked just like Simba would've at this age.

_Kosa will truly be a great lion,_Nala thought proudly. _But, if given the chance, would he be a great king?_

Her son certainly had compassion for all creatures, from his own kind down to the filthy hyenas that weren't really that bad. But Kosa expressed no interest in what Scar taught Nuka and had no desire to rule.

_There's another option,_ her internal voice reminded her softly. _Perhaps Simba will fight Scar, if only for his cubs' sake._

Her cubs were old enough to go on 'long-distance hunts' without tiring. As long as she made sure she was back before long, Scar wouldn't mind her absence.

"Kosa, Kiara," Nala began," how do you feel about testing your abilities as skilled hunters?"

**Okay, I lied. Not much action in this chapter but we are progressing.**


	5. Convergence

**Airezi: I tried to add a linebreak between those two parts. But whenever I try to add one in it always disappears for some reason.**

**Note: Instead of line breaks I will be using --Line Break-- instead.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Lion King. I just own the plot to this story.**

"Why are we hunting for prey out in the middle of nowhere?" Kosa grumbled as he looked around at the desert that stretched out before the three lions with the jungle behind them.

Kiara rolled her eyes at her brother's stupidity. "Because Mom says that just a day's journey beyond this place is a jungle that's practically bursting with prey. We can probably take down enough food to last the pride a week. Besides, stupid, we're almost at this jungle already."

Nala nodded absently, her blue gaze trained onto the distant horizon. For a moment she stared out into oblivion before she shook her head and smiled at her cubs. "That's right Kiara. When we reach the jungle I want you two to split up and hunt on your own for a while."

The princess saluted her mother. "Right away, Mom." Kiara raced away from her family and off into the dark shadows of the jungle.

Once she was away from the distractions of kin, the huntress raised her nose to the air and strained to scent prey above the stifling scents of the plants and flowers. A troupe of monkeys in the distance, an ancient scent of a prowling leopard, bingo.

Kiara grinned defiantly as she caught wind of a distinctly earthy scent mixed with insects. Male warthog, in the latter years of his life, bound to be handicapped by his advanced age.

--Line Break--

The golden lioness slipped into the undergrowth, her pelt blending in with the dappled light that slipped in between the branches.

Simba lay on his back, absorbed in twisted paths of tangled memories.

It was in this very same clearing that he had met Nala again after three years of being alone in the jungle with only Timon and Pumbaa. Ironically, they had met with him trying to protect his foster parent from getting eaten by a mysterious lioness that had exploded out of the bushes.

Only when Nala had pinned him to the ground, as she always did in their cubhood, did they recognize each other. The scrawny juvenile that his former fiance was had been replaced by a magnificent lioness with lean muscles and a slender form from months of hunting.

Simba and his reunited best friend had only spent one magical night together. Even years after that peaceful evening, the spot by the massive waterhole still thrummed with the enchantment that had made that night the best of the former prince's life.

Behind the blissful serenity lurked the dark secret had Simba had been hiding since he fled from the Pridelands. Nala must never know that it had been he that had killed Mufasa, if only by accident.

When she had sprung questions about his absence, the lion had no choice but to reject her. Even if his homeland was in complete chaos because of his mad uncle, he wouldn't face persecution for his crime. Who would want a murderous rogue as a mate anyway?

Nala had returned back the Pridelands the following morning, not even bothering to say goodbye. That had been the last contact with her or his pride.

Following Timon's and Pumbaa's wise motto of Hakuna Matata, Simba hadn't followed the lioness back to the Pridelands and forgot about his home entirely. Although his guilty conscious never let his mind rest, he always managed to live his life as he had been doing so since Mufasa's death by keeping focused on the usual pointless activities.

But without meerkat or warthog to save him from the wraiths of the past, those haunting memories attacked his guilt-ridden heart.

_There he was as a young cub again, staring in horror at his father's lifeless body. Uncle Scar was standing above him, whispering that it was his fault that the king was dead._

_Now he was fleeing from the only life he had ever known, three fearsome hyenas snapping at his paws. Tumbling headfirst into a ravine plagued with thorns had been his escape from Banzai, Shenzi, and Ed. But the thorns still grasped at him, trying to ensnare him in their clutching hold._

_Most recently, a mere nineteen months ago to the day, there was Nala glaring at him in hatred. That fiery lioness challenged his philosophy of no worries and forced him to face who he truly was._

The sudden rustling of bushes and a clumsy presence making his way to the clearing drove the wraiths from Simba's mind. Sighing with relief, the now fully-grown lion turned to face Timon.

"Oi," the meerkat muttered as he straightened his back with a painful-sounding crack. "It sucks to get old."

Years of lazing about and stuffing your stomach full with fattening bugs had not been wise. Timon's belly bulged with too many insects eaten without enough exercise and his fur was tinged with gray.

Simba chuckled and got to his paws. "Someone is grouchy today." The ex-Prince of the Pridelands was still in his prime. Since his meeting with Nala his skimpy red mane had thickened out and his form had bulked so that he appeared to be his father's reflection.

"You say that today Simba but come tomorrow when you wake up with your first gray hair, you'll start thinking different." Timon looked around. "Where's Pumbaa?"

"I thought he was with you."

At that moment a much grayer and terrified warthog burst out of the undergrowth and charged straight into the tree root that he had been stuck in that morning so many months ago.

"Oi Pumbaa!" His meerkat companion shook his head in exasperation. "Where's the fire?"

The warthog struggled harder, his efforts futile. "Not a fire!" he cried. "SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!"

"Who? That crazy physco-chick that Simba used to hang out with?"

"Not her, _her!"_

A much smaller than Nala exploded out of the bushes, her golden pelt sparkling in the sunlight. She ignored the lion and the meerkat and focused on her target.

While Simba lunged at the adolescent female, Timon scurried over and attempted to force Pumbaa out of the root's hold. "Jeez, why does this always have to happen to me?"

The female snarled and clawed at the older male with unsheathed claws. Her amber eyes were wild as she slashed at Simba with a rabid ferocity. Simba overwhelmed the lioness' defences and pinned her down.

She hissed and struggled against his strong hold, but an underfed half-grown cub was no match for a powerful mature male. Simba held on to the lioness, unsure of what to do. Should he release her and risk her trying to kill Pumbaa, or just try to talk about it?

He looked down at the teen-ager to extract a promise from her, but stopped as he gazed down into enraged amber eyes. Mufasa's eyes. _His_ _own _eyes.

A second lion leaped out of nowhere with an enraged roar. Skillfully, he landed on Simba and pushed him away from the lioness.

"Stay away from my sister!" the newcomer bellowed.

Simba was full-grown, but had spent those crucial training years lazing about in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa. Although his massive size allowed him to take on one challenger, he wasn't sure if he could defeat both the lioness and her maddened brother.

Timon had abandoned his effort of freeing Pumbaa and scurried up to the top of the root to watch the fight. "Go for the jugular Simba! The jugular!" he called. "What out for those claws!"

Simba managed to throw the lioness off with a well-aimed kick and lunged for her brother, his mouth opened as he prepared to take Timon's advice.

"Stop!" A light gold shape charged into the fray and stood between the adolescent and the charging male.

Simba stopped, skidding to a halt mere inches from the new lioness that acted as a barrier to the intruder. _"Nala?"_he gasped in disbelief. While Simba stood dumbstruck the adolescent lioness rushed to her brother and helped him to his paws.

The lion growled and inched closer to Nala, identical blue eyes narrowing in hatred. "Mom," he said to her her. "Kiara's hurt. This stupid rogue almost killed her with that kick."

"These are _your_cubs?" Simba felt bitter resentment rise up in him.

So this is what Nala had done when she had left the jungle. No doubt these were Scar's cubs. He was the only male in the pride that was old enough to breed. Unless Nala had found that help she had told him about and became his mate.

Nala glanced at the angry male cub and the wounded 'Kiara', as he called her. "Yes," she said calmly. "Kosa and Kiara are sixteen-months-old."

The former prince found his eyes riveted to Kosa as soon as was able to look at him and Kiara close-up. Why did that young male look so familiar? And why did Kiara have his eyes? There was no possibility that she inherited them from Scar.

Kosa snarled at the older male. He growled, "Get out of here! If you even think about harming my mother and my sister I'll rip you to pieces!"

Simba snarled back. "I would never hurt Nala," his hurt gaze trailed over to the lion he once wanted to have as his mate, "even if she hurt me."

"No Kosa!" The lioness barred her son from advancing, her reprimand sharp. "Neither you, Simba, or Kiara will fight."

"You're Prince Simba of the Pridelands?" Kiara asked. "No way! That would make you our cousin! Is that why you took us out hunting this faraway from home, Mom? So we could meet our cousin?"

"You mated with Scar?" Simba shouted. "You told me you hated him."

Nala stepped away from her son and sighed. "Yes I mated with Scar. But it was only to protect my cubs from his wrath. If he ever found out that Kosa and Kiara are the children of the true king of the Pridelands, he'd kill them."

Simba gasped. "But that would-"

She nodded. "That one night we spent together meant much more to the circle of life then you think Simba. Sixteen months ago, I gave birth to your two cubs. I only mated with the lion I hated more than anything in the world so that Kosa and Kiara could be safe."

"No!" Kosa shook his head in denile and backed away, his lips curling into a snarl of pure hatred. "It's a lie!" he growled. "It's not true!" He blindly charged into the undergrowth, his distressed sister close behind as she tried to calm him down.

Pumbaa finally managed to free himself from the root. "So you and Nala really did become mates. I told you Timon, our little boy was going to be a papa someday."

Timon shook his head in exasperation. "Pumbaa, that topic is over a year old. Just drop it already. Secondly, you two need some time alone to work this little dilema out. Pumbaa and I will be going out for an early dinner. And for Pete's sake, DON'T MAKE ANYMORE CUBS!"

Finally alone with Nala, Simba sighed. "I'm so stupid! I should've known I got you pregnant."

His mate cautiously leaned out gave him a comforting nuzzle. "Simba, it's not your fault. How could anyone foreseen this happening?"

The lion pulled away. "I should've at least come back home to check up on you, if only to see that you were alright. I was just so afraid."

Nala cocked her head. "Afraid of what?"

"It's a long story."

"We have all the time in the world Simba."

--Line Break--

"It can't be true." Kosa swiped at a tree with unsheathed claws, tears of distress staining his golden fur. "It can't be possibly be true!"

How can that rogue be his father? His mother loved King Scar, his true father. Just because his mother mated with Simba in the past doesn't mean that he was his cub.

Nala might have just thought she was pregnant when she mated with Scar. She might have hated the king at first and raised the cubs she thought was Simba's. But in time she saw that her true mate was a compassionate ruler that cared for her and his cubs' well-being.

How could Nala hate Scar? He had always been there by his side, always gave her first pick for every kill, always was there to comfort when she was trouble. They had helped each other out of the abyss of betrayal. Scar helped Nala get over Simba, and she in return helped heal the betrayal of Zira.

Whatever truths that Kosa thought up to ease his troubled mind only tore him back down. Any possible explanation to explain his mother's words were false always crumbled before the harsh reality.

His father was Prince Simba, a cowardly bug that couldn't return home for even his mate's sake. His mother was Nala, the backstabbing lioness that played on Scar's innocent love to save her own hide.

That was the truth.

--Line Break--

Kiara wept in despair.

How could Scar not be her father? She had grown up believing that she was the only daughter of the king, the one true Princess of the Pridelands. She had thought that she would grow up and watch her older brother Nuka become king and perhaps marry Kovu.

But now the ugly truth proved that could never be possible. She was no princess, only the spawn of some cowardly rogue. Her mother, whom she once painted as a gentle soul that loved her mate and cubs, was revealed to be a two-timing lioness that had played Scar for a sap when she mated with him.

_But it was so save Kosa. To save me._ A small voice at the back of her head kept reminding her of her mother's words.

Nala had been extraordinarily brave when she risked being exposed as a traitor. She had pretended to love the lion she despised the most if only to protect her cubs and give them a chance at a life free of heartbreak and sorrow.

And King Scar had been merciful enough to accept Kovu and Vitani as his own cubs. He had believed she and Kosa to be his own flesh and blood. And he was their uncle. If Scar could accept Zira's cubs, couldn't he still love cubs that were truly family?

Kiara smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes.

She was the luckiest lion in the world to have two dads. There was Daddy, whom she knew by heart, and the unexplored territory that was ex-Prince Simba. As long as she was here, it was the least she could do to get to know him better.

Besides, she wanted to know why her father had protected that talkative meerkat and bumbling warthog so fiercely.

--Line Break--

"So that's why you wouldn't go back?" Nala whispered softly. "You were afraid of everyone finding out you killed King Mufasa."

Simba looked down at his paws. Tears ran down his face as that old wound from so long ago was reopened. "How could I ever return and face my mother? I killed my own father."

Nala leaned in and wiped the tears from his eyes. "It was an accident," she said. "You never meant for Mufasa to die."

The lion didn't turn to face her. "It was still my fault," he protested.

Nala grasped his muzzle with her paw and turned him to look at her. Blue and gold eyes locked. "Did you tear out his throat?" she asked. "Did you strangle him until he died?"

"No."

"Your father's death was completely an accident," she assured him. "Simba, it wasn't your fault that you wandered in the gorge or that the wildebeests stampeded. Mufasa could have chose to leave you down there rather than risk his life. But he didn't. Your father loved you Simba and was willing to sacrifice his life to save you."

"I didn't wander into the gorge."

Nala blinked. "What?"

"I didn't wander into the gorge," Simba repeated. "Scar lead me down there and told me to sit still. He said my dad had a surprise for me and that I was supposed to wait in the gorge until he came."

His mate hesitated before replying, "Do you think Scar lured you into the gorge on purpose? He could have started the stampede by himself and try to kill you and Mufasa? Scar had every reason to do that. You and Mufasa were the only ones standing between him becoming king."

Simba shook his head stubbornly. "Scar would never do that to his brother or to his, and I quote, 'favorite nephew.'"

"You were his only nephew," Nala reminded him.

"Can we please not talk about that?" Simba asked. "I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm the father of teen-aged twins."

"Try getting to know them," Nala suggested. "Kiara reminds me a lot of a certain young cub that go into trouble all the time."

"And Kosa?" the lion said. "I don't think he'll be getting over his hatred of me any time soon."

"Just give him time," Nala told him. "Kosa just needs to get used to the fact that your his father and Scar isn't."

A twig broke and both lions turned around. Kiara was standing off to one side, ears flat to her head in nervousness. "Mom, is it okay if I talk to my dad alone?"

Nala smiled at her daughter. "Of course." Turning to Simba she leaned in, her sweet scent pouring into his nostrils. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he breathed. Turning to Kiara he smiled timidly, both unsure of how to react to the other. "What do you want to talk about?"

--Line Break--

Nala heaved a heavy sigh of relief once her mate and cub were out of earshot.

She had been worried that Simba would reject the cubs or, Great Kings forbid, even attack them.

Simba had been honest with her about why he wouldn't return and was dead set against being king. Underneath that immature exterior still beat the heart of a king. Even turning his back on everything he was taught and trying to forget his troubles with that stupid Hakuna Matata motto hadn't been enough to dowse the inner fires of royal blood.

Kosa and Kiara would help him face his destiny. When the time to return to the Pridelands, Nala planned to return with even more company than the last time.

**Trying to keep funny characters in character is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Please tell me if I kept Timon and Pumbaa in character.**


End file.
